Motorola wasted no time ushering in the new era of wearable devices based on Google's recently announced Android Wear platform. Well, almost no time thanks to a technical hiccup that delayed the live Hangout planned for Tuesday afternoon. All irony jokes aside, Motorola gave onlookers a sneak peek into the creation of the Moto 360, which will be among the first batch of smartwatches to arrive running on Android Wear. Motorola design group leader Jim Wicks sat down to talk about the brief history of smartwatches, the inspiration behind the Moto 360's design, and a potential look into the future of Android Wear.

After senior vice president Rick Osterloh declared all existing smartwatches as "extremely ugly" at this year's Mobile World Congress, Wicks walked viewers through the design process and inspiration behind the Moto 360. It all boils down to time, according to Wicks. Go figure. Citing the iconic circular shapes of timepieces ranging from sundials to today's wristwatches, Wicks said Motorola chose to stick with a round silhouette that would be familiar and comfortable on any wrist. And that's important, since Motorola envisions the Moto 360 as the every-person smartwatch, not just a tech toy for early adopters or geeks.

"You need to connect with consumers personally," Wicks said, and that starts with breaking the barrier of being a fashion element—something smartwatches like the Galaxy Gear or Sony SmartWatch have yet to achieve. So how is the Moto 360 different? According to Wicks, it's a device that is "exquisite in terms of detail." From the brushed metal case to the full-grain leather, the Moto 360 was designed from the ground up to be something beautiful that people would want to wear every day. Wicks made it clear that the Moto 360 isn't trying to reinvent the wheel, it's just trying to make it smarter.

Beyond the design inspiration, there wasn't much to go on in terms of technical specs, and viewers could only strain their eyes to catch a glimpse of the working prototype on Wicks's arm. We do know that there are no ports or contact points, meaning some sort of wireless power solution—something Motorola reps referred to as "special sauce." My guess is QI-enabled wireless charging like we've seen on the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7. When speaking about screen surface area, Wicks mentioned 46mm in passing, but it wasn't clear if that's the actual diameter of the Moto 360's watchface. When asked about waterproofing, Wicks said it would be water resistant; an important distinction that means you likely won't be able to wear it swimming or in the shower.

The Moto 360 will run Android Wear, which Wicks says has been designed to work on round devices like the 360 and square devices like LG's G Watch. You interact with the watch with voice commands and touch gestures, and the system leverages Google Now to deliver contextually relevant information, like directions to your next appointment. Information will be available at a glance and during the Hangout, you could see the display turn on after a flip of the wrist from Wicks. Unlike Samsung's Galaxy Gear, Wicks said that the Moto 360 will work with a wide range of Android devices that are running version 4.3 or newer.

No word yet on pricing or release date, but it's clear that the Moto 360 we saw in the initial promo video is more than just a photoshopped mockup. It's real, it's stylish, and it could be your next smartwatch.

About the Author

Before joining the consumer electronics team at PCMag, Eugene worked at local news station NY1 doing everything from camera work to writing scripts. He grew up in Montclair, New Jersey and graduated from the University of Virginia in 2010. Outside of work Eugene enjoys TV, loud music, and making generally healthy and responsible life choices.

Get Our Best Stories!

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.